He is still wet behind the ears at his new job.
wet behind the ears
idiomInexperienced; just beginning; immature (especially in judgment).
Origin
first recorded 19th c.First use appears c. 1850 in Pennsylvania, a calque of German feucht hinter den Ohren. From the drying of amniotic fluid of a baby after birth, specifically a newborn farm animal, whose ears are the last to dry, partly because it is licked dry by its mother everywhere else. Alternative forms also derive from German.
The manager hesitated to give the project to the intern because he was still wet behind the ears.
Although the young recruit showed great promise, his colleagues viewed him as wet behind the ears due to his lack of experience in the field.
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all ears
Listening intently; fully focused.
- 02
all eyes and ears
Very attentive.
- 03
all wet
Utterly incorrect; erroneous; uninformed.
- 04
are your ears burning
Asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion.
- 05
beat someone round the ears
To beat (a person) with blows about the head.
- 06
believe one's ears
To believe that something which one hears is truly the case.
- 07
box someone's ears
To slap someone on the side of the head, usually as an informal punishment.
- 08
burn someone's ears
To cause blushing of someone's ears due to strong embarrassment.